CLUTHA victims could be facing a court battle for compensation after the tragedy.

Lawyers representing 46 of those injured, and whose relatives were tragically killed in the helicopter crash, have now lodged some of their cases in court.

Speaking to the Evening Times, Thompsons Solicitors lawyers said 16 of the 46 people they are representing have settled their claims and have received compensation.

However, another 30 are yet to settle their claims and several are facing the prospect of court in order to come to an agreement.

Andrew Henderson, a partner at Thompsons, said one of the other reasons people are yet to settle their claims almost two years after the tragedy is due to the length of time it takes to determine the extent of their injuries, or the full impact the tragedy has had on their lives.

In other cases, lawyers from Thompsons and Bond Aviation, who are responsible for payment, are still in negotiations.

Mr Henderson said: “Sometimes you have to get an initial report from medical professionals, and a subsequent report later on.

“It takes a long time because you have to wait to get to a stage where the medical evidence is sufficiently clear about what the impact is going to be. It takes time to get to the point where you can give clear advice to a client, because you only get one chance to get the maximum amount of compensation.”

A Bond spokesman said: “Bond is committed to ensuring that compensation is paid to all those who have suffered loss as a result of the tragic accident at the Clutha Vaults.

“We have accepted our responsibility to do so from the outset, and have reached out to the representatives of those affected to speed the process.

“To date more than 80 claims have been received and a substantial number of payments have been made.”

Mr Henderson, and his colleague Hannah Bennet who is also working on the Clutha cases, said many of their clients are frustrated by the lack of answers so far.

The pair criticised the AAIB for not putting the victims of the tragedy at the heart of their report, and claimed the way victims were treated during the release of the findings caused additional stress and upset.

Ms Bennett said she was concerned as not all those who had been affected by the Clutha tragedy had been invited to meetings with the AAIB prior to their report coming out last month.

The firm had been contacted by concerned clients who had not been invited to the meeting, while others had been.

She claims the AAIB would not reveal any details about the criteria for an invitation, something which the organisation denies.

Ms Bennett said: “Not all of our clients were happy with the way it was handled by the AAIB, the information they were given about the report coming out and the way they were given the report as well. Not all of them did receive the report who should have.

“Some people were invited to a meeting, and others weren’t. Some people knew about the meeting but knew they hadn’t been invited and I couldn’t even get them to give me the criteria so I could explain to the clients.

“They wouldn’t give me the information.”

A spokesman for the AAIB said the organisation “held briefings for the relatives of those fatally injured in the accident” and added: “AAIB follow robust EU regulations that govern all accident investigation authorities across Europe.”

He also said the company “made it very clear” to Thompsons that it was only the relatives of those who had been killed in the tragedy who would be invited to the advanced meetings.